New Ending
by Caitie Manda
Summary: Mytho and Rue went back into the storybook two years ago. Ahiru has been a duck all this time. All of her old friends have forgotten about her, except for one. Fakir. What will become of this friendship when Drosselmeyer comes for a visit?
1. Chapter 1

He smiled as he neared the pond. The trees surrounding it provided both shade and privacy. It was the perfect place for Fakir to write his stories. As he neared the sparkling blue water, he saw that familiar speck of yellow floating on the soft waves. A quiet chuckle escaped from his lips as he saw that the duck was sleeping.

Fakir, with a folding chair and bag in hand, walked along the dock he built until he reached the end. He unfolded the chair and sat down in it, pulling out his writing supplies from his bag. He had a package of silver pens that wrote with ink as dark as night and a notebook. This would be sufficient for its purpose.

Out of the corner of Fakir's green eyes, he spied the little fluff of yellow feathers drifting his way. Ahiru was still sleeping, her yellow head tipped toward the water. Her orange beak was only about an inch away from the water. Fakir watched her intently. He took into account how peaceful she looked. She was happy here. Fakir couldn't bear to take her from her happiness, even if it meant giving up his own.

In truth, Fakir wanted Ahiru as a human. He wanted her by his side and he wanted to be by hers. Fakir shook his head at the thought. This was a selfish notion, and besides that, she couldn't be a human without that magical golden necklace with the egg-shaped red stone. Unfortunately, that stone was the final shard of Mytho's heart. Ahiru, being the compassionate, stubborn, strong-willed girl she is, reluctantly returned it to him. She could no longer become Princess Tutu. She could no longer become Ahiru the human girl.

He just could not bear to be without her. This princess…this girl…this…duck. That is what she really was. A duck. Fakir did not care. He needed her. He had to be with her, human or not.

"Quack?" Ahiru was looking up at Fakir from the water, wide awake and looking at him with curious blue eyes.

"Oh, um…I was…" Fakir stuttered with his words, a hot scarlet blush creeping up his neck and flaring up in his cheeks. "It was nothing."

"Quack." Ahiru's face always seemed to say what she was thinking. _Uh-huh. Sure._

"Really!" Fakir hastily half-shouted. The duck rolled her sky blue eyes. _I'm not buying it._

"Believe what you want." Fakir muttered. He looked to the blank sheet of notebook paper open in his lap. He held the pen with a firm grip in his right hand. A story that had been haunting his mind since Mytho and Rue went back into the story The Prince and the Raven two years ago began to spill out onto the page.

* * *

The knight rode on bare horseback through the night. He was not wearing armor, and yet his knighthood was undeniably apparent. He wore a dark brown hooded cloak, and it billowed behind him in the wind. The forest scenery flashed by as the horse flew through the trees. Finally, horse and rider arrived at their long-awaited destination.

The knight dismounted his dirt brown mare. Hood still pulled over his head; the knight looked out over the clearing. The water was startlingly calm. It was so still that, since it was bathed in the light of the full moon, it looked like a sheet of glass. A small form slid into the water on the side opposite of the clearing as the knight.

The knight waited patiently as the little thing glided over the water. Small ripples erupted from the pond as it swam slowly across its smooth surface. As the silhouette came into sharper focus, the knight could make out its familiar yellow feathers. The duck reached the shore, and yet it still loitered in the water. The ripples slowly stilled.

The duck looked up at the knight with sadness in its eyes. The knight mirrored the same sorrow, and a pang of loneliness and regret struck him. The knight took off the hood and let it fall behind his shoulders, revealing a pale skinned face with a pointed nose, emerald green eyes, and dark, forest green colored hair. Fakir knelt at the water's edge and reached out for the duck.

The duck did not shy away from Fakir's hand. It nuzzled its head gently against his palm. Fakir picked it up and held the duck's face only a few inches from his own. He leaned forward gently, slowly, carefully…

* * *

Fakir shook his head. What a daydream! "What the…was I going to…?" Fakir mumbled out loud. He looked at the page in his spiral. He had written every little detail from the daydream into it. Fakir stared at the page in disbelief.

"Quack?" Fakir looked at Ahiru. She was standing next to his chair, looking up at him. _What's the problem?_

"There is no problem." Fakir lied, a hard blush heating up his face. He quickly shut the notebook and began to put it away when Ahiru's orange beak closed around it. She tugged it until it came out of his hands. "Hey!" Fakir yelped. Ahiru waddled as fast as she could down the dock, Fakir directly behind her. Fakir jumped, arms outstretched, and landed on top of the duck.

"QUACK!" the duck squealed in alarm and shock. Fakir took the notebook from her beak and got up, dusting himself off. "Quack, quack." Ahiru quacked in an annoyed tone. _"Touchy, touchy."_

"C'mon, Ahiru, let's get home." Fakir mumbled. The duck nodded and followed Fakir up the dock. She sat and watched him fold up his chair and put his things away into his bag. He walked down the dock towards the forest, Ahiru in his arms. _"What is this feeling?"_ Fakir thought. _"It feels like my whole body is warm when Ahiru is near…could this be…?" _

Fakir looked up for the first time from his thoughts, and he realized that he was standing outside the boys' dorms. His feet, even without him really thinking about it, must've brought him here. Fakir chuckled as he looked into his arms. Ahiru was fast asleep. He quietly carried her up to his room and laid her gently on the bed Mytho used to sleep on. She burrowed into the blankets and snuggled into the pillows.

Fakir tore his eyes from the duck and stood at the window. It was already twilight outside, the stars just beginning to come out. The city lamps had already come on in the streets. How had it gotten so late so quickly? Where had the time gone? This usually happened when he was with her. He would lose track of time and get home late almost every night.

"_Is this…love?"_ Fakir thought hard over this subject. _"I'm in love with a duck?" _He looked over at the bed and smiled at the corners of his lips. _"If this is love…"_ He watched her chest rise and fall with each intake and exhale. _"then I love Ahiru. Her looking like a duck, girl, or princess has no affect on that."_

* * *

_**Author's Note**_

_Hi! This is my first Princess Tutu fanfic, and there are most likely more to come…please don't flame me too much! Give me some constructive criticism if you think I need any, please. You're opinions are very important to me, so please tell me what you think! If there is anything you want me to change, tell me! Like it? Hate it? __**Review PLEASE!**_

_Arigato! :3_

_-Caitie Manda_

_P.S._

_The parts when Ahiru quacks and then it says stuff in quotes AND italicized writing, that's just the translation. Fakir most likely doesn't know what she's saying. That's for you, my dear readers, to understand what little Duck is trying to say. When she quacks and the italicized words AREN'T in quotation marks, Fakir can tell what she means because that's what her expression is saying. Does that make sense? Now, ahem…review, or else I'll have you MARRY MEE! (um…that was a joke...I hope you got that…) _


	2. Chapter 2

Ahiru slowly regained consciousness wrapped in warmth. She opened her eyes and realized that she was in Fakir's room. She was on Mytho's bed. Fakir was fast asleep in his desk chair, his head resting on his left arm. His right arm was extended and his hand was limply gripping a pen. Ahiru waddled over to see what he had been working on.

He had papers scattered all around his workspace on the desk, and his lamp was still on. The little duck shuffled over and turned it off with her beak. She looked at Fakir's face. He had dark circles under his eyes. How long had he been awake last night? When did he go to sleep?

Fakir was mumbling things in his sleep underneath his breath, and every once in a while he said a word or two that Ahiru could make out. "Duck…" he murmured, "Tutu…" What was he dreaming about? Ahiru inspected the papers. Most of the were written on. They were Fakir's stories, no doubt.

She spied, underneath a pile of paper, a corner of a story poking out. There was only one word visible. A name. _Ahiru_. It was written in Fakir's neat handwriting. Ahiru blushed deeply with embarrassment. What had she just discovered? She tugged at it with her beak. It was inching out ever so slowly…

"Ahiru?" Fakir said sleepily. She froze. "What are you doing?" Ahiru turned her yellow head slowly to look at Fakir, the page still clamped tightly in her beak. His green eyes looked at her with expectancy. He wanted an answer as to why she was snooping.

"Quack!" Duck whimpered, dropping the page and cowering under his intense gaze. _"I'm sorry!"_

"Oh, nevermind." Fakir grumbled. Ahiru looked at him worriedly. Fakir could tell what she was trying to say. "I'm fine."

"Quack." Ahiru didn't believe him. She had already noticed that he'd been acting weird over the past couple of weeks. What was wrong with him? Ahiru wanted to know. She always wanted to know that he was okay. Ahiru wanted Fakir to be happy. She wanted to be a human girl so badly. Ahiru was heartbroken thinking about Fakir living his life with the companionship of a duck. She was only a duck. What could she do for him?

Ahiru knew he wasn't happy. What could she do to help him? She wasn't Princess Tutu anymore. She wasn't even Ahiru the human girl. She was just a duck. What could a useless duck do for a human? Ahiru hadn't realized it, but she was crying. Fakir looked alarmed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Ahiru opened her mouth to speak, but her whole body froze up. _"What's going on?" _She thought, trying to move her body. Not a single muscle moved at her command. This was like the time that Drosselmeyer had turned her into a puppet! Was this…

Her wings opened and began flapping towards the window. "Do you need to go?" Fakir asked. Ahiru's head moved up and down.

_"No! Please, Fakir, don't let me leave!" _Ahiru screamed in her head. He didn't hear her thoughts, however, so he opened the window. Ahiru flew out and her body maneuvered to her pond. She landed in the water and sat there. What was she waiting for?

"Ah, little duck, it seems we meet again!" said a familiar voice. Drosselmeyer appeared, walking out of an old grandfather that had appeared out of thin air. He walked a circle around Ahiru on top of the water. "You haven't changed much at all." The old man commented, stepping around the duck in a circle and looking Ahiru up and down.

Ahiru could finally move freely now. Drosselmeyer pointed at the water where Ahiru's feet were and brought both of his hands up. Ahiru was lifted up, and was surrounded by a bubble of golden light. Her feet stretched out before her, and she watched her webbed toes become human toes, and her legs extended and became human legs. Her wings became arms, and her beak became a separate mouth and nose. She could feel the feathers disappearing, and the light vanished. She was slowly lowered to the water. She was sitting on top of the water, her knees bent to one side, her legs folded beside her. Her bright orange hair wasn't in its usual braid, and it was down, falling down to the floor and over her front.

"There, much better." Drosselmeyer remarked, pleased with the transformation he had caused. Ahiru looked at her human hands, with long, slender fingers and medium length fingernails. She looked up at Drosselmeyer.

"Why did you turn me into a girl?" Ahiru asked quietly, curiosity enriching her voice.

"It's all a part of my story, my dear." Drosselmeyer explained.

"Another story? I was already in one of your stories! They ruin people's lives!" Ahiru cried. "We become puppets, saying and doing whatever suits your fancy. Why do you make us your entertainment? It is cruel to all involved."

"Now, now, little duck, do not look upon my meddling that way. Think of it as…" He searched for the right words, "dressing things up a bit."

"Why can't you 'dress up' a different story, then?" Ahiru questioned, "Why must you toy with people's lives?"

"Your questions have almost made me forget my purpose of returning here." Drosselmeyer said, ignoring Ahiru's complaints. "You will be human for three days."

"Only three days?" Ahiru asked, her heart sinking.

"You haven't let me finish." Drosselmeyer interrupted her. Ahiru quieted down. "You have three days to get Fakir to fall in love with you. He must admit to this love before midnight on the third night, else you will turn into a speck of dust and vanish." Ahiru held her breath. How could she get Fakir to fall in love with her in three days? She wasn't even sure how she felt about him!

"Th-three days?" Ahiru inquired faintly.

"There is a catch." Drosselmeyer said, holding up a hand to silence her. "You cannot tell Fakir about our meeting."

"What happens if I do?" Ahiru challenged him.

"You will become a duck feather and drift away on the wind." Drosselmeyer warned her.

"U-understood." Ahiru stuttered. Drosselmeyer nodded in Ahiru's direction and undergarments and a yellow sundress appeared on her. She stood up. Her hair fell down to her mid calves, and the dress had little spaghetti straps for sleeves and was knee length. It was tight-fitting, however not skin tight, around her waist, and it had a U-shaped neckline. Past her waist, it was just a loose, comfortable skirt, and there were orange sandals on her feet.

Ahiru looked up at Drosselmeyer. He was gone. She looked down at her feet. She was still sitting on the surface water. How was that possible without Drosselmeyer…? SPLASH!

* * *

**Author's Note**

_That Drosselmeyer! Always jumping in at the wrong time…or did he come in at the RIGHT time this time? Good luck, little duck…you'll need it!_

_Review please if you liked it! Even if you didn't, please review!_


	3. Chapter 3

Fakir was flipping through the dusty pages of an old book. He banged his fist on the table in frustration. The ending was torn out. "Damn those men!" He said under his breath angrily. He put the book back onto its shelf and got out a different book. It had a dark brown leather cover, and its spine was so worn from use that its letters were barely legible. Fakir shrugged and sat down with it.

He opened it to the first page. He began reading when he heard a voice he hadn't heard in a long time. "Fakir?" This voice was annoyingly familiar. He looked up just in time to see a girl walking up to him. At first he could barely recognize the sixteen year old. She had changed a lot since the last time he'd seen her. Her bright orange-red hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that went down to a little bit past her knees. She had the same messy bangs and blue eyes as before.

She wore a yellow sundress the exact color of her duck feathers and orange sandals the color of her once webbed feet. Fakir couldn't help noticing how the dress flattered the mature curves in her waist. She was also no longer flat-chested, Fakir observed, a slight blush creeping up the back of his neck. How could he think of such things about his friend?

Her reddish-pink lips pulled into a cute smile when she spotted him. Fakir forced himself not to smile back. He hadn't seen Ahiru in her human form in so long… "There you are!" she sighed in relief as she approached the table. Fakir put the book away and offered her the chair across from him. "Thanks!" Ahiru said. A funny expression crossed her face. "Have you been reading a lot lately?"

"Yeah, why?" Fakir questioned.

"I just noticed all the books stacked up over here, is all." Ahiru replied, pointing with a wide wave of her hand all about Fakir. She was right; books were piled up on all sides.

"I've had a lot of free time lately." Fakir said. "But nevermind that. How did you become human?"

"Um…" Ahiru's eyes landed on Fakir's notebook. "Have you written any stories about me turning human?"

"Well…" Fakir didn't want to admit it, but yes. He had written more than his fair share of them.

"Maybe one of them became true!" Ahiru beamed.

"Maybe." Fakir agreed less sarcastically. Ahiru seemed like she wanted to say something, but she said nothing. Fakir didn't really know what to say either. What could they do now? Sure, there were many possibilities…

"You don't wanna spend your whole day in this dusty old library, do you?" Ahiru questioned seriously, breaking the silence. "C'mon! Let's go have some fun!" She ran around the table and took Fakir's hand and tugged him out the library doors. Fakir's face was growing red from embarrassment and surprise.

"Where are you taking me?" Fakir asked as he was being dragged down the street behind Ahiru.

"Boys' dorms." Ahiru replied, not revealing her whole scheme. They finally reached the building and they stood outside the front doors. "Go inside and get dressed."

"But I already am-"

"Go!" Ahiru laughed, pushing him to the door, "We're going swimming." Fakir was somewhat happy with this plan. Although he was too ashamed to admit it, he was looking forward to seeing Ahiru in her bathing suit.

"Fine." Fakir said, trying to act annoyed. Ahiru smiled and dashed off, leaving Fakir in the doorway. She seemed even more balanced than usual, Fakir noticed as he watched her leave. Whoops – she just tripped and fell. Nevermind.

"I'm okay!" Ahiru shouted to Fakir, blushing hard with embarrassment. Fakir could see her bright red face even from the distance he was from her. He chuckled as he watched her get up and run out of the courtyard.

Fakir turned around and walked through the open door. He turned back a final time to see if he could catch another glimpse of her, but she was gone. Fakir shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Fakir was wearing a blue T-shirt and white swimming trunks. He was anticipating Ahiru's arrival. What would she be wearing? Where was she going to take him? What would they talk about once they were there? Fakir saw a flash of orange hair outside the gate.

Out from around the corner came Ahiru, wearing a light pink swimsuit cover over her bathing suit. It looked like a sleeveless dress, her cream colored bathing suit showing a little from over the top where it tied around her neck, and the dress stretched down to about two inches above her knees. Her hair was down, merely pulled back at the front by a headband. Her messy bangs still covered her forehead.

She walked over to Fakir and extended him her hand. "Let's go." she said, smiling. Fakir stood up from the bench he had been sitting on by himself, and he allowed Ahiru to lead him. She walked into the forest, Fakir directly behind.

Once she had started, Fakir knew where they were going. He walked alongside Ahiru to the pond where she used to swim at in her duck days. He noticed two chairs at the end of the dock. Ahiru walked across the dock to stand in front of one of the chairs. Fakir only watched from the water's edge.

Ahiru pulled the cover off over her head, revealing a cream colored bikini. Fakir blushed deeply as soon as he realized that he had been gawking. This was exactly what Ahiru had planned for him to start to fall in love with her. Step one was working.

She motioned for Fakir to join her. He walked up the wooden planks of the dock, forcing himself to look away from Ahiru. He finally looked at her again when he was halfway up the dock. She formed her hands above her head into a curved triangle, palms touching, and dove into the water. She resurfaced quickly to see if Fakir was going to join her. He had no intentions of doing so.

Ahiru pouted, sticking her bottom lip out. "Please?"

"No." Fakir stated.

"Pretty please?" Ahiru pleaded.

"Nope." Ahiru thought of another idea to lure him into the water.

"I think I see something at the bottom of the lake!" Ahiru announced, "I'm going to go see what it is."

"Have fun with that." Fakir said. Ahiru took a deep breath and swam underneath the water. She could easily be able to hold her breath for at least twenty minutes because of her strong swimmer's lungs. She sat at the bottom of the lake for about five minutes, waiting. She heard Fakir's voice from the surface, but couldn't exactly make out what he was saying.

"Moron." Fakir muttered, looking over the edge of the dock. Ahiru still hadn't surfaced. Had she gotten herself hurt? Fakir didn't want to take any chances or guesses, because every minute he wasted she could be losing air down there. He pulled his shirt off and dove into the water after her.

Ahiru heard the splash. She saw a dark shadow coming closer to her, and Fakir's features became visible. She closed her eyes and tried her best to look like she had run out of air. Fakir grabbed her waist and pulled her up to the surface. As soon as air filled Ahiru's nostrils, she pretended to sputter and cough as if she had swallowed water.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Fakir exclaimed, wading to shore.

"I dunno…" Ahiru replied, surprised at how he had reacted to her little prank. Although _he_ didn't know it was a prank. Ahiru decided that it was in her best interest not to tell him.

"You could've drowned down there!" Fakir continued, "Do you realize that?"

"Well yes, but you came to save me." Ahiru answered, looking into his face. They had gotten to the shore, and Ahiru lay on her back, staring up at the sky. Fakir stood up. "Where are you going?" Ahiru inquired, sitting up. All she got a good look at was Fakir's back as he walked up to the dock.

She watched him grab a towel and dry himself off before putting his shirt back on. Ahiru didn't mean to upset him so much. She walked up the dock and stood in front of him. Fakir looked away from her. Ahiru stepped closer to him. He didn't move a muscle. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. Fakir made no movements underneath her. Ahiru didn't care.

Water seeped through his shirt and began to chill Fakir's skin. Still, he made no effort to hug her back. Ahiru tightened her hug a little, and then looked up at him. His face looked as emotionless as ever. But earlier…Ahiru had seen it with her own eyes. He had been worried about her safety. "Fakir, I'm sorry." Ahiru said. "I didn't want to scare you."

"Then what did you want to accomplish, Ahiru?" Fakir questioned angrily, pushing her away and turning his back on the red-headed sixteen year old.

"I-I don't know…" Ahiru admitted, hanging her head.

"You could get hurt being careless!" Fakir exclaimed.

"I know, Fakir. I'm sorry." Ahiru said. She had never meant for all of this to happen. She hung her head in shame. She looked at Fakir. His back was still to her. His shoulders were shaking a tiny bit. "F-Fakir?" No answer. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He reached up slowly and rested his hand over hers.

Ahiru took hold of his hand gently and stepped around to his front to look into his face. His hair was in his face, but Ahiru reached forward and brushed his bangs from his face. Fakir had been crying. Ahiru released his hand. Fakir turned his head away from her. Ahiru took hold of his chin lightly and turned his face back to her. She wiped his tears away with her free hand. "You needn't cry for my sake." Ahiru said softly.

"I-I wasn't crying!" Fakir exclaimed, blushing hard.

"You don't need to lie, Fakir. You don't have to protect yourself from me." Ahiru whispered, "I'm not here to hurt you."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Fakir stated.

"Maybe I don't." Ahiru agreed, "But maybe I do." She took his hand again and asked, "Now let's get back, shall we?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**

_Hello to all of my wonderful readers! I thank you all for sticking with me and this story. I haven't had time to write because I've had to study, study, study for these really big tests for school…I know, however, that this is definitely not a good excuse. During this time, I pulled out my laptop a couple of times and just stared at a blank Microsoft Word page. My brain was absolutely fried! But now, since those tests are over, I can write. Without further ado, (and further blabbing from me) I give you chapter five!_

* * *

It was now day two. Ahiru knew that she was running out of time. Each second that she didn't spend with Fakir was a second less that she could've used to make him fall in love with her. Ahiru needed every second she could get.

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Her pale skinned and blue eyed face looked back at her. All of the childish pudge that used to make her cheeks round was gone, and now she had an oval-shaped face instead of a circular one. She finished brushing her hair and braided it. She decided that she would wear her hair the way she used to for a change. She pulled a light blue shirt over her head, and the straps were the kind that fell off of her shoulders and loosely hugged the tops of her arms.

She pulled on a pair of denim shorts that were barely five inches above her knee, and then slid her feet into a pair of white flip-flops. Ahiru turned back to the mirror and examined her ensemble. She nodded with satisfaction and slipped out of the room.

* * *

Fakir woke with a start when he heard a knock on his bedroom door at Charon's house. So startled was he that he actually fell off of his bed. He disentangled himself from his sheets and comforter and threw them back onto his bed, which was now in complete disarray. All Fakir was wearing was a pair of shorts, and his hair was down. "Coming," he said, walking to the door. He opened it, expecting the knocker to be Charon, and was surprised to see Ahiru. She looked…nice. Ahiru smiled at him. Fakir blushed with embarrassment at his own attire and looked away.

Ahiru knew he was blushing, but she didn't force him to say anything. She looked at his bare chest. She was pleased to note the muscularity of it. It looked as though Fakir lifted weights. His tanned arms also had muscular features to them. She spotted the long, tattered looking birthmark across his chest. He was the knight from the story _The Prince and the Raven_ reincarnated, and this mark was where the knight from the story had supposedly been cut in two while protecting the prince.

Unaware of what she was doing, she reached out and touched part of it at Fakir's shoulder. Fakir's blush deepened as he felt her cool, smooth fingertips touch his skin, but he did not shy away from it or push her away. He looked at Ahiru.

Ahiru felt her cheeks grow red hot as she realized what she was doing. "I'm sorry." She whispered, dropping her hand and averting her gaze to the floor. _"Did I really just do that?"_ She screamed in her head.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Fakir said simply. Ahiru looked up. She stared into his eyes, and became lost in their deep, emerald green depths. The blush was now a light shade of pink, but it was still settled in her cheeks.

"I-I…" Ahiru stuttered. Fakir raised a hand to stop her.

"I'll get dressed, then we can go." Fakir said, turning from the open doorway back into his room and shutting the door. Ahiru was still at a loss for words. She leaned her back against the door and slid down to the floor, sighing lightly.

Fakir, on the other side of the door, was just as speechless. He was blushing so hard that he was willing to bet that his face was as red as a tomato. He shook off the last bit of sleep that had settled in his limbs and got to getting ready.

He rushed to put on a T-shirt, shoes and socks, and he pulled his hair back into its usual short ponytail. When he was done, he took a deep breath to calm himself down and stepped as casually out of his room as he could.

"That was quick." Ahiru noted. Fakir gave her a short nod and they walked out the front door. The day was still young, the air still had a touch of coolness, not quite too hot just yet, and the sun, like most people in the small, walled-in city, still seemed to be waking up. The two walked along the grey cobblestone road, paved specifically for pedestrians to walk upon, and listened to the soft chatter of the birds in the trees. Ahiru led him to town and brought him to the market.

"What do we need here?" Fakir questioned, looking around and taking in the sights and smells of the marketplace. There were many kiosks and stands set up here and there along the sides of the road, and each one sold something different from the last. There was everything here from food to clothing to music and everything in between.

"Some fun." Ahiru answered, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes followed up with a sneaky smirk. She took Fakir's hand in hers and led him though the throng of people. Fakir willed the scarlet blush creeping up his neck to go away.

First, they came to a sunglasses kiosk. There were all sorts of colors and shapes of sunglasses. "What do we need sunglasses for?" Fakir asked, a tiny bit annoyed.

"They're fun to try on!" Ahiru giggled. Fakir watched Ahiru intently. She scanned the rows and shelving units of sunglasses until she found one of the utmost hilarity. The frame was indigo, and the lenses were encased in indigo squares. There were rusty red, bright, highlighter yellow, and rusty brown-orange stripes on them. The lenses themselves were clear. She smiled at her hideous find and put them on her face.

Fakir held in his laughter; it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. The glasses were about ten times bigger than necessary – they covered most of her eyes and cheeks – and she made silly faces. Ahiru herself was laughing at the sight.

She took them off, replacing them with another horrible pair. This pair was made, it seemed, for someone who wished to be like a rainbow sheep in the midst of a flock of white sheep. The left side of the frame that held the lenses in place was a circle, and the right was a triangle. The circle had a yellow-gold tinted lense, and the triangle had a green tinted lense. The frames themselves were a disaster of clashing patterns, colors, and designs. One part could be pink and brown stripes and another could be rainbow polka dots.

Fakir swallowed the laughter that was dying to let loose – belly clutching, eye watering, side hurting laughter – and succeeded for the most part. A small chuckle escaped from his lips, and it was returned by a goofy smile from Ahiru. She took off the glasses, placed them back on the rack where she had found them among the other sunglasses. Ahiru looked around the kiosk in one final swoop before leaving.

She snatched up Fakir's hand again and they wound their way through the crowd. They continually stopped at little kiosks and stands set up, only buying a few things. The two teenagers continued their day in this manner, and even Fakir eventually loosened up.

The sixteen and eighteen year olds walked side-by-side licking at the

* * *

ir ice cream cones. The afternoon sun was hot on the backs of their necks, so they were grateful to the coolness of the frozen treats. Ahiru had a vanilla ice cream cone, and Fakir had strawberry. Ahiru had a few bags strapped onto her arms, and Fakir had none.

He shaded his eyes from the sun; the brilliant blaze of light was blinding him. Ahiru, having noticed this, reached into a bag and fished out a pair of darkly tinted sunglasses from their first stop of the day. These were actually quite toned down; merely silver wire frames with no designs or crazy colored lenses. Fakir took these and slid them onto his face. "Thank you." Fakir said. Ahiru nodded, smiling. Fakir looked over at her and noticed that she too was wearing a pair. Hers were white plastic frames with a small pattern of rhinestones on the sides with gray lenses.

"Have you been having a good time?" Ahiru asked.

"Sure," Fakir replied, "have you?"

"Absolutely." Ahiru said. She turned her face upwards then, looking up at the sky. The wide expanse of light blue had scarcely any clouds on it, and the sun was shining fiercely from above.

Fakir noted a bit of a light sunburn on her cheeks, so he suggested, "How about we start heading back? It's hot out here and if we stay out too long we'll be as red as tomatoes because of painful sunburns."

"Alright." Ahiru agreed. The two began making their way back to Charon's house, having hardly any conversation at all. Ahiru was dying to talk by the time that they reached Fakir's room, and she felt that if she didn't say anything soon that she might explode. "Hey, Fakir?"

"What?" Fakir said.

"Uh…" Ahiru racked her brain for something to say. She really didn't have anything in mind to begin with, but she wanted to have some sort of conversation with him. "Did you know that…um…" Ahiru looked around the room until her eyes fell on the pile of stories on Fakir's desk. "Did you know that I can't really write stories?" Ahiru realized how stupid this sounded, so she added quickly, "I mean, I could, but they wouldn't be as good as yours. If yours were considered bad, mine would be terrible." _You just said his stories were bad!_ Ahiru screamed in her mind. "B-but I'm not saying that yours are bad, either, because they are really, really…"

"Good?" Fakir finished.

"Yeah. Good." Ahiru said, sighing with relief that the embarrassment was over.

"I'd like to read one of your stories sometime." Fakir stated. "I might not think as negatively toward them as you, though."

"That's okay. That's really great, in fact. It would be awesome if you read one of my stories sometime." Ahiru said. _You're losing interest, here! _"You should stop by sometime soon! I'd have to write one, though, first…" Fakir smiled. He always did think it was cute when Ahiru stuttered like this.

"Soon." Fakir repeated.

"Yeah, soon." Ahiru echoed. _Wait a minute… _"Well, soon, yes, but before tomorrow. If you come after tomorrow, I might not-" Ahiru put her hand over her mouth to cease her talking for a moment. She had almost just told Fakir part of what happened with Drosselmeyer._ If you come after tomorrow, I might not be here anymore._"Uh…" Ahiru looked out his window and saw the sun beginning to go down. "I should go." She said. "Thanks for going with me today! I had lots of fun and I hope you did, too. I gotta go." Ahiru rushed out his bedroom door and ran down the road.

Fakir stood at his window and watched until her orange braid disappeared from sight. "One of these days," Fakir mumbled to himself, "I'll get the courage to tell you how I feel." He pictured Ahiru's face for a minute, and then returned his gaze to the window. "I'll tell you I love you one day." However, Fakir did not know about Ahiru's time limit. She only had one day left after the clock struck midnight. One more twenty-four hour period for Fakir to admit his feelings of love to her. If Fakir does not tell her he loves her by midnight the following day, Ahiru will turn into a speck of light and vanish. What will become of Drosselmeyer's tangled web of deception and stories, continually weaving its way deeper into the lives of all who are caught within it?

* * *

**Author's Note**

_Thank you for reading chapter five! I hope it was what you've all been hoping it would be. I am so terribly sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but you wouldn't believe how busy I've been these last few weeks…thank you again for hanging in there with me and the story!_

_Arigato! :3_

_-Caitie Manda_


	6. Chapter 6

Ahiru managed to talk Fakir into going back to the dock. They wouldn't swim today, however; instead, there was a nice, red and white checkered blanket spread across the sturdy wooden floorboards of the dock, and a brown basket filled with delicious food and drink laid on it. Ahiru waited anxiously and looked at her watch. She had bought it at the market; it was a silver wristwatch, with a medium sized flat face, small black hands, and medium-sized numbers. It was seven o'clock exactly.

Ahiru shifted from one foot to another nervously, unable to hold back the jittery feeling that was spreading across her body. Butterflies flitted around in her stomach, which currently felt like it was tying in knots and doing front and back flips. She sighed resignedly, attempting (and failing miserably) to calm her nerves. He would be here, she told herself for the millionth time, he won't be late. She sat down on the blanket and smoothed out the wrinkles, even though she had already done the same thing at least ten times in the last hour.

She heard a rustle in the bushes and turned, a smile spreading across her lips as Fakir emerged from the foliage. "Well," he said, loudly enough for her to hear him, "you look prepared."

"Yup," Ahiru called back, watching him walk across the dock. She slowly stretched out on her back to look at the sky, her arms folded neatly across her belly. "I've been here for at least an hour now." That was a lie, and she knew it, but she didn't want Fakir to know. In truth, she had been at the dock for nearly three.

"That's pretty early, considering the fact that it's you." Fakir commented coolly as he sat down.

"Ha ha." Ahiru said dryly, although Fakir knew she was joking along with him.

"So," Fakir cleared his throat, waiting for Ahiru to respond.

"So…?"

"What have you got packed in here?" Fakir asked. Ahiru turned onto her side to face him, and noticed that he was eyeing the picnic basket.

"Food." She replied, sitting up.

"What kind?"  
"You know," Ahiru laughed, "I always did like a variety."

"Hmm…"

"Yes," she giggled, hearing his stomach growl quietly, "we can eat now."

Fakir reached over to open the picnic basket's lid, but Ahiru grabbed his hand. "Ah, ah, ah. Be patient." She pulled out a blindfold and held it out for Fakir. "Put it on."

"This?" He questioned, holding up the black strip of thick cloth.

"Uh-huh."

"Fine." Fakir muttered, tying it over his eyes. "Now what?"

"I feed you," Ahiru blushed slightly, "and you try to guess what the food is."

"Sounds easy enough." Ahiru opened the basket and pulled out a tub full of white mushy stuff. She spooned it carefully into Fakir's open mouth. "Hmmm…" he thought about the food as he chewed and swallowed, then said, "Potato salad?"

"Correct!" Ahiru half-shouted. She fed him the rest of it before pulling out another smaller container. When she opened it, Fakir could smell a hint of cinnamon. She got a spoonful of one of the two crispy golden triangles and put it into his mouth.

"Apple turnover!"

"Right again!" Ahiru fed him the rest of his turnover, then ate the other one herself. "There's only one more thing in here."

"Okay." Ahiru got out one last dish. It was a small container with something brown, soft, and spongy looking. She put it into his mouth. Fakir chewed and then swallowed. "Chocolate cake?"

"Wow, you're really good at this!" Ahiru reached around him to untie the blindfold. Her fingers wrapped around both ties, and as she began fumbling with the tie, her knees slipped on the blanket. The result of this was that she fell into Fakir's lap, blindfold and all. Fakir looked down at her with green eyes full of curiosity. Ahiru's face turned to a dark shade of crimson within seconds. "I-I…" She scrambled off of his lap, only succeeding in slipping some more, until finally Fakir took her firmly by her shoulders. "Sorry!" she squeaked quietly.

Fakir did something then, that anyone would have done in that instance. He held her by her shoulders, his eyes locked with hers, but as soon as she apologized, he just couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter. Not just chuckling or giggling, either – gut wrenching, tear-jerking, hiccup making guffaws. Ahiru was dumbfounded.

She stared at him as he rolled around on the dock, clutching his sides and wiping at his eyes every now and again. Unable to hold her composure for any longer, Ahiru melted into the moment and joined him, even though she wasn't quite sure what was so funny in the first place. The two chortled together until both were gasping for breath. Fakir lay on his back, looking up at the sky, wiping the hysterical tears from his eyes. "That," he managed to breathe during wheezy, uneven intakes of air, "was hilarious."

Ahiru was on her stomach at the edge of the dock, her arms dangling over the edge and her long, pale fingers tracing shapes on the still water. She didn't make a sound besides her ragged breathing, which soon steadied itself. She glanced at her watch. It was now nine o'clock. "Fakir…" she whispered eventually.

"What?" the green haired boy inquired, watching the sky fade slowly transition to night from his belly-up position.

"What would you do if…" Ahiru tried to think of a way to ask what she wanted to say without giving anything away. Coming up with the proper wording, she continued, "If I were to die tonight, what you do?"

"That's a serious question." Fakir whispered back faintly. He prayed that the sound of his voice cracking as he spoke hadn't reached Ahiru's ears. She was completely oblivious of the fact.

"I know." Ahiru sighed, "But what would you do if I did? Would you say anything?"

"I'm sure I would." Fakir said thoughtfully, "There are plenty of things I would imagine myself doing."

"Would you…" Ahiru started loudly. She cleared her throat and continued softly, "miss me?"

"Probably." Fakir said. _That wouldn't tell her anything, would it? _He thought to himself.

"Oh." Ahiru watched her orange haired reflection on the water's surface. It looked sad to her; her blue eyes had an emotion that could only be described as sorrow, and her pale pink lips were in a slight frown at the edges. "How much?" She finally choked out.

"What kind of question is that?" Fakir inquired impatiently. He didn't like where this was going.

"Just answer the question." Ahiru ordered. "How much would you miss me?"

"A lot, I guess."

"Why?"

"I dunno."

"What kind of an answer is that?" Ahiru huffed, mimicking Fakir's earlier tone.

"It's an answer." Fakir spoke quietly, his voice gentle, " 'I dunno,' could mean a number of things to a guy. It could mean 'Not at all' or it could mean 'So much that it would hurt me,'. You'd just have to figure out which it is."

"I see." Ahiru contemplated the two options before selecting the answer that most likely suited her question. "Then I think you meant 'Not at all'."

"Why would you think that?" Fakir asked, hoping his tone came across as genuinely curious. Ahiru did, indeed, take it as just that.

"I just…" She flipped over onto her back. "It's complicated."

"Everything in life is, Ahiru." Fakir said.

"I know."

"Do you have a particular instance in mind?" Fakir posed.

"It's a really long story." Ahiru muttered.

"I have time."

"No," Ahiru said, "I appreciate you trying to help, but…" _I can't tell you or I'd be turned into a duck feather and be blown away wherever the wind takes me._ Ahiru finishes in her head.

"But…?" Fakir pushed her to continue.

"It's a very, very long, winded story that'll take forever and a day to finish. I really think that I'm doing you a favor in not telling you."

"_Or,_ you just flat out don't want to tell me." Fakir suggested. _Wow,_ Ahiru thought_, is he a mind reader or something?_

"That's not true." Ahiru lied simply.

"I bet it is." Fakir countered.

"Is not." Ahiru argued.

"Is too."

"Is not."  
"Is too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Not."  
"Too."

"Not!"

"Too!"

"IT IS NOT!" Ahiru yelled. By this time, they were in each other's faces. There was a moment of silence. Fakir leaned back.

"Is too." he muttered. Ahiru sighed in exasperation and crossed her arms, turning away from him. Her eyes looked down at her wristwatch for a moment and then out across the water. _So what if I only have two hours to get Fakir to admit he loves me! _Ahiru thought angrily, _I bet he'd be A LOT happier without me!_

She sat and huffed for a few minutes until realization set in. _I only have…two…hours… _"TWO HOURS!" She shouted. As soon as the words escaped from her mouth, her hands flew up to her lips. She wished that she could stuff her loud words back inside. But it was too late.

"Two hours…?" Fakir asked, confused. What was going on in that girl's mind?

"Oh!" She turned around and laughed nervously, looking at Fakir and then to her lap, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "Two hours until…uh…" She searched her mind desperately for a good excuse to cover up her sudden outburst. "Midnight!" She said, a bit too loudly. _MIDNIGHT?_ She screamed at herself. She silently prayed for a moment that Fakir would believe her.

"Midnight…?" He thought about it for a minute and took a glance at Ahiru's glimmering silver watch. The clock face read ten o'clock. "Huh. I guess it is."

"Yep." She nodded vigorously to prove her point. Ahiru realized that the picnic was still lying out. She started to pick things up when she noticed a second set of hands helping her. "Thanks." She mumbled.

"No problem." Fakir replied. They picked up napkins, cups, plates, and silverware, piling them all back into the basket. Once everything was back into place, Ahiru scooted to the end of the pier and dangled her legs over the edge, swinging them forward and back. Her left leg swung forwards, her right swung back; her left leg swung backwards, her right leg swung forward.

Fakir joined her, sitting right beside her. They listened to the sound of the birds as they said their quiet goodnights, the crickets as they chirped their songs of love, and the water as it pushed forward and pulled back. Ahiru looked up at the sky. The stars were twinkling madly tonight. They sparkled like millions of pieces of glitter sprinkled across a dark blue piece of cloth. The moon shone fully like a bright pearl button in the sky.

"Doesn't it look amazing tonight?" Fakir questioned contentedly after a while.

"Yeah…" Ahiru's eyes reflected the glow of the sky, and this did not go unnoticed by Fakir.

"Your eyes look pretty." He commented softly.

"Oh," Ahiru blushed and lightly brushed the corner of her left eye with one of her fingertips. "Thank you." The milky light from the moon shone on Fakir's dark green hair in a way that made it shine around his face. "Your hair looks nice."

"Thanks." Fakir turned back to the sky to avoid embarrassing himself by revealing his blushing face. Ahiru did the same. A shimmer of silver darted across the sky, like a needle quickly pulling a piece of glimmering thread.

"A shooting star!" Ahiru gasped. "Fakir, make a wish." Fakir looked over at the girl. She had her fingers crossed on both hands, her nose was scrunched up in a way that could be described with no other word besides cute, and her eyes were tightly closed. _I wish…_ she thought, _that Fakir would say that he loves me and that we could live happily ever after…_

Fakir broke his unwavering gaze from the orange haired girl beside him. "So…" Fakir spoke softly, "what did you wish for?"

"You know, the usual." Ahiru replied in an equally inaudible tone.

"What's 'the usual', exactly?" Fakir continued.

"Just chick stuff that you probably wouldn't understand." Ahiru whispered.

"You'd be surprised how easily I comprehend certain things." The two looked out across the shimmering water. Ahiru checked her watch. It was eleven forty exactly. If Fakir didn't admit his love to Ahiru, she would turn into a speck of light and vanish in twenty short minutes.

"So, um, Fakir…" she stuttered, attempting to draw his attention to her. He looked at her. "What if I told you that in about…oh, let's say…thirty minutes…I would die. What would you do?"

"Why are you asking so many questions like that?" Fakir demanded in an irritated tone, "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Um…" Ahiru tapped the tips of her shoes together as she waited for a response to pop into her head. Any moment now…_any_ time now…a_ few_ more seconds…and…Ahiru had nothing. "W-well, no, n-not really."

"Very convincing." Fakir said doubtfully. "Just spit out whatever it is or forever hold your peace."

"I…" Fakir looked at Ahiru patiently, waiting for her to speak. "I…" her voice dropped to a nearly muted volume as she whispered, "I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Fakir yelled. "Why can't I know?" He stood up and stared her down. Ahiru drew herself up to her full height.

"F-Fakir, it's not like that." Ahiru tried to coax him. He wouldn't calm down.

"Maybe you just don't trust me!" He shouted, "I don't understand you!" His eyes were stormy. Ahiru's heart felt like it had burst into a million pieces and had sunk below the dark blue waves.

"Fakir…" Ahiru reached out to touch his arm comfortingly.

"No!" He pulled away from her.

"I wish I could tell you," Ahiru said quietly, tears beginning to blur her vision and spill out onto her cheeks, "but I can't. If I could, I would. Please," a few tears splashed onto the wooden boards beneath their feet. She looked up at him, her translucent tears gleaming in the nighttime glow. "just trust me."

"How can I if you don't even trust me?" Fakir spat at her, his anger slowly ebbing away at the sight of her crying.

"I trust you with all of my heart." Ahiru admitted. "There are just some things…" her mind drifted to her situation, "that can't be explained during their 'moment of truth'."

"I believe you." Fakir sighed finally. He reached out and pulled Ahiru into a hug. The silver wristwatch flashed quickly in front of Ahiru's eyes, and the face read eleven fifty-five. There were only five minutes left.

"Fakir." Ahiru mumbled into his chest.

"Huh?" Ahiru could feel his chest rumbled against her own body as he spoke his response. She looked up at him.

"Do you…" she worded her question as carefully as she could, "know what it feels like to…" Fakir's eyes searched her face for any sign of what she would say next. She spoke faintly, "love someone?"

His face softened slightly. "Yes," he said, "I do."

"What's it like?" Ahiru pushed.

"It's…" he looked deeply into Ahiru's eyes, greeting that warm feeling that spread from his head down to the tips of his toes, "a really wonderful feeling."

"Who are you in love with, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Isn't that a bit of a personal question?"  
"Answer the question." Ahiru's eyes glanced at the watch. Eleven fifty-eight.

"Well…" The clock hand struck eleven fifty-nine. One minute. Sixty seconds. Sixty thousand milliseconds. _Just tell her you love her._ His subconscious mind whispered. _Just tell her. Show her. _"I…" Fakir cupped her face in one of his hands and tilted it gently upwards. A quiet gasp escaped from her lips. Twenty seconds. His face slowly leaned down to meet hers, his eyelids closing over his deep green eyes. Her own blue eyes began to close. Ten seconds. "I love…" Five seconds. Ahiru could feel his breath on her face as he drew nearer. Three, two… His lips were inches away from hers. "you." The gap between them was closed.

Ahiru wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to embrace her by the waist. His lips were warm and tender, and hers were soft and moist. The kiss was rough, as many first kisses of their kind usually are, but it was sweet. The earth and the heavens seemed to collide at the moment their lips touched, creating that perfect moment.

Nothing would or ever could harm them like this. As long as they had each other, all would be okay. Their moment of bliss slowly drew to a stop and they pulled away for air. Their foreheads rested lightly together as they breathed in the cool night air in a way that felt different than before. "I love you, too." Ahiru whispered before closing the gap once more.

Time stopped within their moment; but who would keep the time, anyways? There were only a handful of things that could count the seconds for the teens, and one was obvious. The silver wristwatch that was adorned on Ahiru's left wrist shined in the moonlight, the second hand slowly ticking and the minute hand ever moving. The second hand past the twelve with ease, and the minute hand mimicked the gesture accordingly; the face of the beautiful wristwatch now read twelve fifteen.

But there was still at least one other thing that kept time at that moment. This fact was lost on the couple, who were currently too oblivious to even their own surroundings to hear the two softest sounds in the distance; a single pair of applauding hands, and the wizened chuckle of an old and familiar friend, followed by the final sentence in his story. "Well done, my little duck; well done."

* * *

**Author's Note**

_Thank you to all who have stayed with me as I have been writing this story! I appreciate all the positive feedback that this story has been recieving since it was published! I am now officially ready to say that this chapter is the concluding part of this story. In other words - The End!_

_Arigato! :3_

_- Caitie Manda_


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